PanARMENIAN.Net - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Thursday, January 17 that he welcomes the meeting between the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and the Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held on 16 January in Paris under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.

The Secretary-General said he appreciates the continued commitment of the sides to finding a negotiated and peaceful solution to the long-standing Nagorno Karabakh conflict and particularly welcomed the Ministers' agreement on the need to take concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace.

The Secretary-General reiterated the full support of the United Nations for the important mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group.

A possible summit between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia would give a strong impulse to the dynamic of negotiations, a statement issued by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said on Wednesday.

The co-chairs - Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America - hosted consultations between Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Paris on Wednesday. They met separately and then jointly with the Ministers. Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in these meetings. This was the fourth meeting of the two Ministers.